Last week I shared a few quick thoughts on my reading of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I shared how deeply I need reminding of the lessons contained within, and how thankful I am to authors such as Covey for passing them along.
Today I’d like to share another key idea that won’t let me go. Ironically it comes from the subsequent chapter to last week’s post. Just as systems and organisms reach a point of irreducible complexity, meaning any further reduction or removal of parts would in effect break or render useless the aforementioned, Covey’s list of essential habits must contain not only “be proactive, but this week’s topic: “begin with the end in mind.” It would collapse and fall into ruin if either pillar were abandoned or removed. You can’t have one without the other.
You’ve no doubt heard someone, most likely an authority figure, admonish you with these words. “Look before you leap,” and “Think before you speak,” they say. What they are striving to communicate is what Covey artfully captures in his simple and easy to remember fashion. These people mean you well, they desire your success and seek to give you the help you require. The insight they offer is the same immense help Covey passes along. It seeks to help you consider your destination before casting off on your grand adventure.
“To begin with the end in mind,” Covey said, “means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.”
How often do you miss a turn or worse still take the wrong one? I do this often traveling roads and paths I know well. It adds needless time and miles to my trip. While these amount to little more than an inconvenience, how much greater is the injury when it happens not on a trip to the store, but at the end of your life.
“It’s incredibly easy,” Covey said, “to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall.” That is a terrible and frightening thought. What wasted energy. What wasted life.
The way to avoid this depressing realization later in life is to consider what that day will hold. The key is to think about what will matter most to you when lying upon your death bed. What is it that you will value most? Upon what will you place the greatest importance?
Wouldn’t it make better sense to define these things ahead of time?
Doing so doesn’t impact only that day, but makes a world of difference to your life here and now. It determines the decisions you make today. It provides you a set of values and principles from which to decide things. If it aligns with your values, have at it. If it doesn’t, and especially if it contradicts, run from it.
Considering the future end state and reverse engineering is a supreme act in self-leadership. Most people are caught up in managing their day to day lives. They rarely step back and consider the greater vision and direction of their lives. They remain stuck in survival mode, getting through each day by the skin of the teeth.
The difference between what most people do and beginning with the end in mind is as wide and the gap between surviving and thriving. I don’t know about you, but I want to thrive. I want a full life. A life brimming with joy and purpose.
Those things come from a reasoned consideration of things; setting a course for that far out destination on the horizon. I need regular reminders to check my heading and ensure that it’s pointing to my desired destination. Far too often I find its off course and in need of adjustment. Reminders like this help me on track.
I don’t want to reach the end of life only to find I’ve climbed the wrong ladder. I’d rather do all I can to ensure it leans against the right wall from the start.